This is the sort of book that makes me feel comfortable and warm. He died in 1982, nine months after the birth of this Australian classic. The result was an enormous degree of interest. At the urging of his grandchildren, he submitted his handwritten manuscript to a publisher, the Fremantle Arts Centre Press. With the end of World War 1 Facey began making notes of his life and soon filled notebooks with his experiences. Having never received a formal education he taught himself to read and write. He joined the tramways and was active in the Tramways Union. He fought at Gallipoli and, after the war, became a farmer until the economic depression of the 1930s forced him off his land. He had many jobs which included droving, hammering spikes on the railway line, and boxing in a travelling troupe. Cared for by his grandmother in the wheat belt of Western Australia he was working full time from the age of eight. Nobody could be more Australian than this writer. Facey was born in Victoria but moved to the West as a small child. It has now returned to its native roots, Western Australia, to be cared for by Fremantle Press once more.Ī.B. It was first published by Fremantle Press in 1981 and promoted under the Penguin name for thirty years. Facey’s book A Fortunate Life is a classic piece of Australian literature.
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